Golden? Age

One of my dearest friends, now gone, once said "when does the 'gold' kick in?" She is right, the "gold" is an elusive matter when you are over-the-hill. The truth is, there is seldom gold to be found. The other day while shopping, I saw a man, stooped over, who could barely walk but he was giving it a great try. People were avoiding him with either looks of pity, or  sadly, of disgust. I thought to myself, that man may have been a fine athletic football player in his day or perhaps a speedy track sprinter. Now, he was patronized and shunned. Old age is no joke and as Elizabeth Taylor or Bette Davis said, "old age is not for sissies". It takes courage and patience to see your body, tired from all the years of tick and tock, gradually deteriorating and leaving you, through no fault of your own,  at the mercy of daily aches and other afflictions worse that you don't "deserve". Sure, you are retired but retirement isn't all cruises and kudos. Most of it, is where is the next cheque coming from and how am I going to pay for the prescriptions I need, my old car and my dentist bill. Many live with their kids or in a mediocre home for the aged, losing their dignity and independence. But most old-agers put on a good show. The gold is usually that flowing out, not in. What appeared to be a solid income once, is that no longer. Groceries have taken a sudden leap in price and rent is sky high. The rest of society is not to blame. It has its problems too. Some younger folk say that it is the old folks who are draining the tax system with their medical needs. Believe me, if we could trade those needs in for new bodies, we'd be first in line. We would rather not have to use the medical system. Elders are not always the ones who take up the doctor's time. Young children are frequently the most prevalent in the doctor's offices. Their mothers who have taken the day off work to bring them in about that sniffling nose or red rash, want a quick fix. Usually antibiotics are the answer. Tax dollars are spread thinly in education and policing besides medical care, the biggest drain. But getting back to the old days, there was little or no credit. If you wanted something big, you saved for it or you didn't have it. It was not a regulated or protected society as it is today. Few had medical or dental insurance. Your teeth rotted and were pulled out. Mortgages were not easily signed. You lived in a place within your means and forgot about the Jones's. Divorce was considered a last ditch effort and it was deemed unsavory to obtain. If the marriage was bad, it stuck together no matter what. Education beyond high school was for the rich. It's where a lot of women were sent for a couple of years to find a good husband and then "have" to get married to one.  Holidays off to Europe or honeymoon some southern island were rare. Huge houses with mortgages to match were unheard of. Sure you might have had a secure job but it didn't come with time off to birth a child or regular raises arranged by a union. Everything achieved up to this day was accomplished by a whole band of people who fought for rights and freedoms and a better standard of living. Now we appear to have it and often it is taken for granted. The next time you see an old man or lady stooped over and struggling to take a step, say hello sir or ma'am, and thank you.